Ga. linebacker Thomas picks Gators over Tide

Published: Friday, August 1, 2014 at 6:36 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 1, 2014 at 6:36 p.m.

After a string of decommitments, Florida is riding a big wave of football recruiting momentum heading into fall training camp this month.

UF received huge news Friday when linebacker Adonis Thomas committed to the Gators over Alabama during a ceremony at his high school.

The Under Armour All-American is a consensus four-star prospect and holds offers from more than 30 schools, including Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas.

Relentless pursuit by Florida coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin won over Thomas, as well as their defensive scheme.

“They’ve been recruiting him for the longest and harder than anybody,” said Todd Wofford, his coach at Lawrenceville (Ga.) Central Gwinnett.

“He’s built a great relationship with coach Muschamp and coach Durkin, and he feels like he will fit perfectly in their defense.”

Wofford said Thomas’ skill set is every defensive coach’s dream.

“He’s the type of pass rusher that everybody wants nowadays — a 6-foot-4, 220-pound kid that runs a 4.6 and can consistently get after the quarterback off the edge and then drop back in pass coverage and stick with somebody all game. He plays receiver for us, so that’s all you need to know about his athleticism.”

Over the last two weeks, UF has gained four commitments (Thomas, Kalif Jackson, Mike Horton, George Brown) and lost four commitments (Marcus Lewis, Jalen Julius, Tristan Payton, Deontai Williams).

Four of Florida’s last five pledges had offers from at least four of these six schools: Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State and Texas.

None of the Gators’ five decommitments this year had more than two of those offers.

UF now has 10 members in its 2015 class. Verbal commitments are not binding until recruits sign their national letters of intent.

<p>After a string of decommitments, Florida is riding a big wave of football recruiting momentum heading into fall training camp this month. </p><p>UF received huge news Friday when linebacker Adonis Thomas committed to the Gators over Alabama during a ceremony at his high school.</p><p>The Under Armour All-American is a consensus four-star prospect and holds offers from more than 30 schools, including Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas. </p><p>Relentless pursuit by Florida coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin won over Thomas, as well as their defensive scheme.</p><p>“They've been recruiting him for the longest and harder than anybody,” said Todd Wofford, his coach at Lawrenceville (Ga.) Central Gwinnett.</p><p>“He's built a great relationship with coach Muschamp and coach Durkin, and he feels like he will fit perfectly in their defense.”</p><p>Wofford said Thomas' skill set is every defensive coach's dream.</p><p>“He's the type of pass rusher that everybody wants nowadays — a 6-foot-4, 220-pound kid that runs a 4.6 and can consistently get after the quarterback off the edge and then drop back in pass coverage and stick with somebody all game. He plays receiver for us, so that's all you need to know about his athleticism.” </p><p>Over the last two weeks, UF has gained four commitments (Thomas, Kalif Jackson, Mike Horton, George Brown) and lost four commitments (Marcus Lewis, Jalen Julius, Tristan Payton, Deontai Williams). </p><p>Four of Florida's last five pledges had offers from at least four of these six schools: Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State and Texas.</p><p>None of the Gators' five decommitments this year had more than two of those offers.</p><p>UF now has 10 members in its 2015 class. Verbal commitments are not binding until recruits sign their national letters of intent.</p>